criminal [krim-uh-nl] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin adjective
- of the nature of or involving crime.
- guilty of crime.
- Law. of or relating to crime or its punishment: a criminal proceeding.
- senseless; foolish: It’s criminal to waste so much good food.
- exorbitant; grossly overpriced: They charge absolutely criminal prices.
noun
- a person guilty or convicted of a crime.
Origin of criminal 1350–1400; Middle English Anglo-French Late Latin crīminālis, equivalent to Latin crīmin- (stem of crīmen; see crime) + -ālis -al1 Related formscrim·i·nal·ly, adverbnon·crim·i·nal, adjective, nounnon·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbqua·si-crim·i·nal, adjectivequa·si-crim·i·nal·ly, adverbsub·crim·i·nal, adjectivesub·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbsu·per·crim·i·nal, adjective, nounsu·per·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbun·crim·i·nal, adjectiveun·crim·i·nal·ly, adverbSynonyms for criminal 1. felonious, unlawful. See illegal. 6. malefactor, evildoer, transgressor, culprit, felon, crook, hoodlum, gangster.Antonyms for criminal 1. lawful. 2. innocent. Examples from the Web for quasi-criminal Historical Examples of quasi-criminal
And was not the same imperfect social system partly responsible for the quasi-criminal attitude which had been forced upon him?
Francis Lynde
The Sigurimi was the shadowy, quasi-criminal state security apparatus.
Sam Vaknin
The members of the Council who had conducted the previous examinations were directed to sit as a quasi-criminal Court.
William Stebbing
British Dictionary definitions for quasi-criminal criminal noun
- a person charged with and convicted of crime
- a person who commits crimes for a living
adjective
- of, involving, or guilty of crime
- (prenominal) of or relating to crime or its punishmentcriminal court; criminal lawyer
- informal senseless or deplorablea criminal waste of money
Derived Formscriminally, adverbWord Origin for criminal C15: from Late Latin crīminālis; see crime, -al 1 Word Origin and History for quasi-criminal criminal adj.
early 15c., from Middle French criminel (11c.), from Latin criminalis “pertaining to crime,” from crimen (genitive criminis); see crime. Preserves the Latin -n-. Criminal law (or criminal justice) distinguished from civil in English at least since late 15c.
criminal n.
1620s, from criminal (adj.).